Interpack 2023: Save Food Initiative Takes Stand Against Food Waste

Scientific results, new materials, innovations in mechanical engineering and the latest approaches and technologies in the fight against food loss and waste will be presented at interpack 2023.

interpack, the world’s largest trade fair for processing and packaging, is again taking a visible stand against the world-wide waste of food from May 4 to 10, 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Members and partners of the SAVE FOOD Initiative will demonstrate how food can be safely processed and packaged, how its shelf life can be extended and how any food waste that occurs can be sustainably repurposed.

Globally, around 14% of food worth approximately $400 billion goes to waste on the way from harvesting to retail (FAO, 2019). At the same time, another 17% is wasted at the retail and end consumer levels (UNEP, 2021). Reducing these numbers is the goal of the SAVE FOOD Initiative, which was founded in 2011 by Messe Düsseldorf, interpack and the World Food Organization FAO. The initiative brings together international organizations, food producers and packaging manufacturers.

interpack 2023 will offer an important platform for this. At the trade fair, the SAVE FOOD booth in the North Entrance area will offer information about the initiative. In addition, the SAVE FOOD Highlight Route will showcase innovations in this area and the “Product Safety” theme day will focus on related results from studies as well as best practices.

SAVE FOOD Highlight Route

A tour through the hall, full of technologies against waste and loss: Several interpack exhibitors are members of the SAVE FOOD Initiative. The SAVE FOOD Highlight Route will offer visitors an overview of current projects and products by participating members. Topics will include how to minimize food losses during the filling process, how to achieve a reliable product inspection and high quality sealing, or how to avoid undesired contaminations. Also on display will be highly sensitive detectors of foreign bodies for all critical control points of the production process to prevent recalls and false ejections, as well as packaging solutions and machinery for extending the shelf life of food. Among the participating exhibitors will be IMA Industria Macchine Automatiche, Syntegon Technology, MULTIVAC, Ishida Europe, Theegarten-Pactec, Gerhard Schubert, FAWEMA, ULMA Packaging, Mettler-Toledo Garvens, ROTZINGER and Sealpac.

In addition,  many other exhibitors at interpack will present solutions for safe processing and packaging. The food industry is one of the top target groups among visitors and therefore the range of products is correspondingly large. Food will be the focus in Halls 5, 6, 11, 13 and 14 and the confectionery and baking sectors will be in Halls 1, 3, and 4.

Start-ups also have shown interest in the topic. For example, keäksack in the VDMA Technologie Lounge in Hall 4 will present a craft beer produced from surplus bread. Another example is easy2cool in the Start-Up Zone in Hall 15, presenting sustainable insulating packaging for shipping fresh or frozen foods.

Research project with the BAU University

Leftover materials from food production are generally disposed of. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for alternatives to plastic packaging. One sustainable option is to produce bio-based and compostable packaging from waste food or by-products of the food industry. The SAVE FOOD Initiative is working on this idea together with Bahçeşehir University (BAU) in Istanbul.

Over the past few months, a total of 28 students have tested various approaches. Two projects outdid the others. A kombucha scoby bio-wrap made of waste oranges and tea leaves for packaging dry foods has great potential and good chances to be put to practical use. Another team implemented the idea of packaging strawberries under a protective atmosphere using integrated nano wrap made from PLA and rice husks. The results will be presented by the university and the students in the forum “Spotlight Talks & Trends” on  May 9 at 2:30 pm.

Product safety theme day

Product safety is a core function of packaging and one of the four hot topics at interpack. The industry is already making an important contribution to reducing food waste. Information about current projects and innovations will be available at the theme day for product safety in the lecture forum “Spotlight Talks & Trends” in the North Entrance area on  May 9. It will include a lecture by the FAO in Europe and Central Asia about cooperations to fight food loss and waste as well as an overview of best practices in the packaging industry by the WPO (World Packaging Organization). Fascinating innovations will also be presented by Ishida Europe Limited, Pilz and Mettler-Toledo.

About the SAVE FOOD Initiative

The SAVE FOOD Initiative was founded in 2011 by Messe Düsseldorf and interpack, the world’s largest trade fair for the packaging sector and the related processing industry, and has since cooperated with, for example, FAO and the UN Environment program. As a global alliance, it follows UN SDG 12.3, fighting for a reduction of food loss and waste. After a hiatus due to COVID-19, interpack has been involved in new projects since 2022. The goal is to create public awareness for the issue and to develop counterstrategies and even solutions in cooperation with the economy, politics, society and industry. A special focus is put on innovations from the packaging industry.

For more information

Learn more about the SAVE FOOD initiative at: www.save-food.de  For companies and organizations interested in becoming a member of SAVE FOOD, contact Katja Tünnissen: Phone: +49 211 4560 615, Email: TuennissenK@messe-duesseldorf.de.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at interpack 2023, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit www.interpack.com  and www.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago

For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at (866) 674-3476; Fax: (212) 674-3477; E-mail: info@ttitravel.net; www.ttitravel.net